Your Guide to The Right MBA Format and Concentrations at Eller

A master of business administration (MBA) is a serious investment that enhances your career, life and community. MBA degrees shape future business leaders with the communication, technical, leadership and managerial skills necessary to succeed in today’s rapidly-evolving business settings.

There’s plenty of MBA formats to choose from that fit your specific needs, work experience and time schedule. With so many formats and concentrations to choose from, selecting the right MBA program can be a daunting task. Never fear—we have laid out each type of MBA and their key features and components so that you can find the program that suits you the best.

MBA Formats

Full-Time MBA

Overview: A full-time MBA program is generally a two-year on-campus program that engages students with a well-rounded, in-person graduate experience and, depending on the program, offers various student activities, international opportunities and club opportunities along with intriguing coursework.

At the Eller College of Management, our faculty, alumni and corporate partners come together to offer MBA students the in-depth and real-world experience they need to truly lead in today’s fast-paced, ever-evolving business landscape. The in-person component allows for the formation of a tight-knit community of classmates that work closely together throughout the two-year program.

Curriculum: Though the curriculum will be specific to the program attended, each experience will generally cover areas that include:

• A core set of analytically oriented business topics such as finance, accounting, marketing, economics, operations, management, information systems, leadership and business communications
• The fundamentals for success in individual and team-based settings
• Experiential learning, managerial and business communications capabilities and professional development activities
• A competitive internship related to the chosen field of study (note: internships are not guaranteed—students must apply and pursue them)

Learn more about the Eller College of Management’s Full-Time MBA Program.

Evening MBA

Overview: Generally, evening MBA programs are focused on providing a flexible academic schedule as well as a rigorous curriculum to working professionals who aspire to stretch their skill set and improve their work quality in their career.

The Eller evening MBA is specifically structured for just one six-hour evening per week, plus an initial four-day launch session and a ten-day global business experience, allowing students to gain insights and camaraderie from a shared experience.

Curriculum: An evening MBA program includes much of the same material of that of the full-time MBA. At Eller, students are taught necessary leadership skills that allow them to reach whatever their goals are in the business world. An Eller evening MBA program will cover areas including:

• Traditional business fundamentals and the latest competitive strategies
• Leadership in organizations, management communications and advanced business communications
• Market-based management, managerial economics and financial management
• The global context of business as well as a Global Business Experience abroad

Learn more about the Eller College of Management’s Evening MBA Program.

Online MBA

Overview: An Online MBA program is aimed at providing students a blend of schedule flexibility and academic rigor, with the ability to complete an MBA degree at their own pace and entirely online—in as little as 14 months or as much as four years. Eller’s Online MBA Program offers seven week sessions and six start dates per year.

Curriculum: Eller's Online MBA offers a flexible curriculum with seven possible concentrations, four duals degrees and certificates. Courses are offered in a carousel format that repeats every 12 months,; a typical session offers at least two core courses and a minimum of two electives. To complete the degree, students take 45 credits, including 28 core units and 17 elective units.

Learn more about the Eller College of Management’s Online MBA Program

Dual Degree MBA

Overview: Dual degree MBA programs offer accessibility to a curriculum that allows students to combine an MBA degree with other graduate degrees. Dual-degree programs are structured so that students spend defined academic years in a single school or college. By combining an MBA with another graduate degree, MBA students are uniquely positioned to create value in some of the most dynamic and interesting enterprises in today’s marketplace.

Pursuing a dual degree program often adds one additional academic year onto the year of study of the longest program. Many of our dual degree programs can be completed in just two years total.

Types of Dual Degrees Offered at Eller Include:

• MBA/Master’s in Marketing
• MBA/Master’s in Accounting
• MBA/Master’s in Business Analytics
• MBA/Master’s in Finance
• MBA/Master’s in MIS

Learn more about the Eller College of Management’s MBA Dual Degree Programs.

Executive MBA

Description: An executive MBA (EMBA) specifically targets those in business leadership and corporate executive positions, providing them with the tools necessary to further exceed in their current and future careers. Generally, a significant amount of work experience is required in order to attend the program.

The Eller College of Management’s EMBA includes a hybrid schedule designed to bring executive students together for two intensive days of on-campus class every month, in addition to online courses that round out the 21-month experience.

Curriculum: A rigorous set of coursework, EMBAs are focused on providing corporate professionals with the skills required to navigate the challenges of upper level business leadership. At the Eller College of Management, courses weave multiple aspects of business together and is a unique blend of hybrid of online courses and monthly in-person classwork.

Learn more about the Eller College of Management’s Executive MBA.

MBA Concentrations

A worthwhile addition to any MBA experience is a specialization/concentration of choice. These concentrations allow students to learn an area they are interested in through the lens of business management.

There are many types of MBA concentrations to choose from, each focused on a different area of business. For example, if a student was interested in working in the healthcare industry as a business leader, they would work towards an MBA with a Healthcare Management concentration to receive the knowledge that comes with an MBA as well as how to use these principles in a healthcare setting.

Choosing to have a specialization is solely the decision of the student and depends on the interests of the student and what they would like to focus on throughout receiving their MBA.

Here are possible specializations for a Master of Business Administration from Eller

• Entrepreneurship
• Finance
• Marketing
• Healthcare Management
• Management Information Systems (MIS)

Entrepreneurship 

Entrepreneurship is taking on risks, being creative and taking strategic measures to build a business from the ground up. This concentration focuses on analysis, decision making and business planning, looking at relevant curriculum that often includes current business trends and techniques.

Learn more about Eller’s MBA Entrepreneurship concentration.

Finance 

A finance concentration is about learning how to efficiently manage business and personal funds and developing the analytical skills to do so. Some examples of how finance professionals work include: corporate finance officers helping their companies raise capital that often finances new plants and new products, resulting in new jobs; lending officers at banks, savings and loans and credit unions helping their customers finance homes or college education; portfolio managers investing the retirement funds of millions of people.

Learn more about Eller’s MBA Finance concentration.

Marketing 

Marketing is a set of interacting business activities designed to plan, price, promote and distribute goods and services. Students with a marketing concentration explore buyer behavior, marketing research, market segmentation, the development of products and services, pricing strategies, distribution systems, advertising and promotion and the creation of strategies to meet consumer needs and organizational goals.

Learn more about Eller’s MBA Marketing concentration.

Healthcare Management 

With the healthcare management concentration, students dive deep into how business within the medical and healthcare industry works, with all the challenges and opportunities that come with it. This industry is rapidly evolving in terms of how business, medicine and technology connect.

Learn more about Eller’s MBA Healthcare Management concentration.

Management Information Systems (MIS) 

The field of management information systems (MIS) involves applying computer technology, quantitative techniques and administrative skills to the information processing requirements of organizations. MIS combines computer technology with management decision-making methods to analyze, design, implement and manage computerized information systems in an organizational environment.

Learn more about Eller’s MBA MIS concentration.

Dual Degrees and Concentrations: What’s the Difference?

A dual degree program is designed to allow students to combine both their MBA with another degree of choice. For example, a student who desires an MBA as well as a Master’s in Marketing should choose a dual degree program to pursue both degrees simultaneously. These programs are often longer than normal MBA programs, to incorporate both areas of study.

On the other hand, with a concentration, a student will only graduate with an MBA, but with a specific focus attached to their degree. These programs allow students to study a specific area within the MBA program, rather than being enrolled in two separate programs at once.